4 eyed in DOLE official’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Police District (MPD) yesterday released the photos of four persons of interest in the killing of a senior labor officer in Malate, Manila Monday.

Acting MPD chief Brig. Gen. Bernabe Balba, in a press briefing, appealed to the public to give information on the four men caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage who were involved in the killing of Ellen Dacanay while she was driving her Honda Brio along Malvar street on Monday.

“We are appealing to the public, for anyone who has witnessed the incident to give some information relative to the identity of the suspects. All information will be treated with confidentiality,” Balba said.

National Capital Region Police Office chief Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said any tip from the public would help police resolve the case with dispatch.

He said investigators are focusing on the identities of the four men before going after the mastermind.

“As of now, we have no clear motive nor the brains behind the labor official’s ambush-slay. We are focused more on identifying the persons of interest,” he stressed.

He said a separate team of investigators is looking into cases handled by Dacanay.

Police analyzed 50 CCTV clips that showed a man wearing a red shirt, pretending to use his cell phone outside and pointing out the vehicle driven by Dacanay to the gunmen  before they promptly followed it.

The gunmen wearing bullcaps alighted from the motorcycle and fired shots when the victim’s vehicle arrived along Malvar street.

They then sped off and abandoned the motorcycle at the corner of San Andres and Anakbayan streets before hailing a tricycle along Singalong street.

The motorcycle used in the killing was driven away by a fourth person of interest toward Quirino Avenue, the footage showed.

Balba said the police need all the information they can get, especially because there was no clear motive.

The victim’s family said there were no death threats against her, Balba said.

Dacanay’s companion in the vehicle, labor arbiter Agatha Daquigan, was unhurt in the incident.